A 39-year-old mother was seriously wounded in a terrorist shooting attack last night in southern Jerusalem, and one of her children was wounded "moderately." Two other children were lightly hurt in the attack, which occurred around 9:30 PM not far from Har Gilo and the Walajeh Checkpoint. The woman is now listed in serious but stable condition in Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital, after having undergone surgery during the night. She remains on a mechanical respirator as well. Her 9-year-old daughter is listed in good condition in a pediatric surgical ward with hand and thigh injuries, most likely from the same bullet.
Fatah's al-Aqsa Brigades took responsibility for the shooting attack, as well as for two other shooting incidents last night (see below). The terrorist organization said that it planned the three simultaneous attacks to counter what it called Israel's "hudna violations," namely, the continued arrests of suspected terrorists. Israel, of course, is not a signatory to the hudna, and in fact has said it will continue to fight terrorism for as long as the PA does not.
Defense Minister Sha'ul Mofaz said this morning that Israel would not proceed with its planned transfer of two more cities to PA control if attacks such as the one last night do not cease.
In other attacks during the night, soldiers were targeted by Arab gunfire north of Jenin, causing damage to a military vehicle, and gunfire was also directed at an armored personnel carrier in northern Gaza. A paratrooper force shot and killed a terrorist placing a bomb near Tul Karem. There were no injuries to our soldiers in these incidents.
It was publicized today that the Shabak had arrested the Hamas terrorists responsible for two Jerusalem bus bombings, in which a total of 24 people were killed and well over 100 were wounded. The first attack occurred on May 18 of this year; seven people were killed on a #6 bus near the French Hill junction. The murderous terrorist was disguised as a religious Jew, wearing a yarmulke and ritual fringes. On June 11, a day after Israeli helicopter gunships shelled the car of Hamas spokesman Abdel Aziz Rantisi - injuring, but not killing, him - a suicide bomber blew himself up inside a #14 bus in downtown Jerusalem, killing 17. The interrogation found that the second attack was planned a month before Rantisi was targeted.
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